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Ragan has Disappointing Finish at Darlington |
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Darlington, S.C. (May 9, 2008)
David Ragan and the No. 6 Discount Tire team had a disappointing end to a great run in the
Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway on Friday night. The NASCAR Nationwide Series
race was marred by eight cautions and multiple wrecks. Ragan started the race in the ninth
position but ran in the top five for much of the race. After a late race pit stop Ragan was
shuffled back in the running order when he tangled with Steven Wallace on lap 138 and hit the
turn two wall extremely hard. The accident put an end to a promising evening. |
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It was a warm night at the track known as the "Lady in Black" and Ragan was looking to tame it.
After qualifying in the ninth position Ragan wanted to stay patient the first 50 laps of the race.
Ragan's Discount Tire Ford Fusion had been among the quickest of the field all weekend in practice.
Crew chief Mike Kelley reminded Ragan of the new surface and to be smart and cautious of other drivers
trying to be too aggressive early in the race. The first caution of the night flew just two laps into
the race when Ragan's Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards cut a tire and slammed into the turn
three wall. The caution waved yet again on lap eight for a wreck in turn two. The drivers seemed willing
to test the track "too tough to tame" early and often with little success. |
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Ragan and the Discount Tire team executed their plan to perfection the first 70 laps of the race. On
lap 53 Ragan was already in the top five and gaining on the race leaders. Ragan had minimal handling
problems and his Ford Fusion had great balance. By lap 58 Ragan was in the third position behind Kyle
Busch and Tony Stewart. On lap 59 Ragan was the race leader. A green-flag pit stop loomed large. The
top five started to make their first pit stops of the evening on lap 59. Ragan was called to the pits
on lap 62 for minor adjustments. Kelley ordered four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The
Discount Tire pit crew ripped off a 13.7 second stop which helped Ragan stay in the top 10 upon exiting
the pit stall. Ragan had brief handling problems the next few laps, but as the tires got warmed up the
car came to him. |
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Everything was falling in place for Ragan and the Discount Tire team. His Ford Fusion was a rocket and
the pit crew was sharp. The third caution of the night flew on lap 73, halting the team's momentum. The
Discount Tire team opted not to pit when many other teams made their second stop of the night. When
green-flag racing resumed on lap 79 Ragan was in the fourth position. The race was green for six laps
before the caution flew again for a two-car wreck. Kelley called Ragan to the pits for the second time
of the evening on lap 87. Kelley ordered four tires, fuel and a slight air pressure adjustment. The
Discount Tire pit crew had another amazing pit stop. Everything was falling in place for Ragan and the Discount
Tire team. His Ford Fusion was a rocket and the pit crew was sharp. The third caution of the night flew
on lap 73, halting the team's momentum. The Discount Tire team opted not to pit when many other teams
made their second stop of the night. When green-flag racing resumed on lap 79 Ragan was in the fourth
position. The race was green for six laps before the caution flew again for a two-car wreck. Kelley called
Ragan to the pits for the second time of the evening on lap 87. Kelley ordered four tires, fuel and a slight
air pressure adjustment. The Discount Tire pit crew had another amazing stop. Green-flag racing resumed on
lap 93 with Ragan in the ninth position. The race was halted four more times the next 30 laps, killing any
chances of Ragan making a move toward the front of the pack. This was clearly frustrating the Discount Tire
team. |
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Ragan's Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth brought out the sixth caution of the evening on lap 128
for a violent wreck in turn four. The race had to be red-flagged, but one last pit stop was the key to the
Discount Tire team's late race strategy. For the strategy to work the race leaders had to stay out. When
the race went back to a yellow-flag the top five all stayed on the track. Ragan was called to the pits for
two tires and fuel. The quick stop got Ragan back on the track in the ninth position. |
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Green-flag racing resumed on lap 133. On lap 138 Ragan got tangled up with Steven Wallace and spun into the
wall in turn two. The accident left Ragan's Ford Fusion badly damaged and put an end to a great run. |
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"I had a run on the 66 and got underneath and got him loose and spun it out. Certainly if he wouldn't have
been there I could have used a little bit more track and it would have been fine, but I was just trying to
get a little too much there. The car felt really good. We got a little tight the last part in traffic and I
just didn't have the track position to win. I felt like if we could have been in the top two or three we had
a winning car, but I should have just rode it out and got us a good finish, but I just wanted to get more and
got a little too much." |
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The 27th-place finish leaves Ragan sixth in the Nationwide Series point standings. Ragan and the team will
return to action Saturday, May 24 th at Lowe's Motor Speedway. |
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About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR's largest team operating 13 motorsports teams,
five in NASCAR Sprint Cup with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle,
Carl Edwards and David Ragan; seven in the Nationwide Series with Kenseth, Biffle,
Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Erik Darnell and Colin Braun; and three in the Craftsman
Truck Series with Braun, Darnell and Joey Clanton; and one in the ARCA/REMAX Series
with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto
www.RoushFenway.com.
For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645. |
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